Machine for conveying restrained folded tortillas longitudinally through hot oil bath to form tacos shells

ABSTRACT

THE DISCLOSURE IS FOR BEST PURPOSE OF PRODUCING TACOS SHELLS COMPRISED OF PROCESSED, THIN. PLIABLE, ROUND TORTILLAS THAT ARE PRE-FOLDED SUBSTANTIALLY IN HALF AND PLACED IN BASKETS EACH FRAMED AND OF LENGTH TO RECEIVE A SUCCESSION (5 OR 6) OF V-SHAPED, MOLD FOLDED TORTILLAS TRANSVERSELY ACROSS HOT OIL BATH AND UPON HORIZONTALLY, LONGITUDINALLY MOVING CONVEYOR THEREIN, THE BATH IN LENGTH PERMITTING A SUBSTANTIAL PLURALITY, AS SIX BASKETS (30 OR 36 TORTILLAS), TO BE FULLY IMMERSED THEREIN AT ANY INSTANCE. THUS FIVE (OR SIX) PROCESSED TACOS SHELLS EMERGE FOR EVERY BASKET WIDTH OF CONVEYOR TRAVEL.

p 20., 1971 E. L. SANCHEZ MACHINE FOR CONVEYING RESTRAINED FOLDED TORTILLAS LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH HOT OIL BATH TO FORM TACOS SHELLS 4 Sheets-Sheet l I Filed June 24, 1969 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

INVENTOR E DWAE'D L. SANCHEZ 'BY wm ma A TTORNE Y Sept. 20, 1-971 MACHIN Filed June 24, 1969 E L. SANCHEZ 3,605,605

E FOR CONVEYiNG RESTRAINED FOLDED TORTILLAS LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH HOT OIL BATH TO FORM TACOS SHELLS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 EDWARD L. SANCHEZ ATTORNEY Sep 1971 E. L SANCHEZ 3,605,605 MACHINE FOR CONVEYING RESTRAINED FOLDED TORTILLAS LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH HOT OIL BATH TO FORM TACOS SHELLS Filed June 2 1, i969 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR L. SANCHEZ ATTORNEY EDWARD Sept. 20, L971 E. L. SANCHEZ MACHINE FOR CONVEYING RESTRAINED FOLDED TORTILLAS LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH HOT OIL BATH TO FORM TACOS SHELLS Filed June 24, 1969 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 73

84 INVENTOR EDWARD L. SANCHEZ 24 ATTORNEY GE NER- GEA ATOR BOX 77-PUMP I01 3,605,605 Patented Sept. 20, 1971 TI cc 3605 605 MACHINE FOR CONTEYING RESTRAINED FOLDED TORTILLAS LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH HOT OIL BATH TO FORM TACOS SHELLS Edward L. Sanchez, Houston, Tex., assignor of a fractional part interest to Tony Villasana, Sr., Houston, Tex. Filed June 24, 1969, Ser. No. 848,374 Int. Cl. A47j 37/12 US. Cl. 99-386 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to a machine of the type designed to utilize a minimum of hot oil bath volume per processed food unit, with both of length and conveyor of adjustable speed to drive the food units through the machine to obtain maximum rate of unit production.

In recent years, the taste for so-termed Mexican food has spread from Southern California and other states adjacent Mexico, as Texas, to further parts of the United States and into other foreign countries. Tortillas, the staple of most Mexican restaurant meals and dishes, generally comprised of pounded grain, as corn or maize, mixed with milk in process, when finished are in form of leathery, pliable or foldable round, thin cakes or disks.

As demand has grown, machines in Class 83-623 and in Class 107-57 have been developed for processing tortillas into form as such, while machnes in Class 99-403 and in Class 99-404 have been developed for processing tortillas into tacos shells, or hot oil bath hardened, V- shaped folded sandwich shells, as for holding ground meat with chili sauce thereon, shredded lettuce and tomato, in the forms of the well known tacos. As may be appreciated, a revolutionary increase in produced tacos shells per unit of hot oil bath can be obtained by the applicants type of machine as compared with the conventional Ferris wheel type machines now in general use in the industry, as exemplified by US. Pat. No. 2,967,474, issued Jan. 10, 1961.

'It is consequently a primary object of the invention to provide apparatus and method of producing tacos shells at far greater production rate by conveying transverse lines of mold folded tortillas disposed side by side longitudinally spaced apart along a hot oil bath.

It is also another and important object of the invention to provide a machine for accomplishing the aforesaid object equipped with means for adjusting conveyor speed and oil bath temperature to achieve any pro-determined rate of tacos shell production.

Also, it is an additional object of the invention to provide method and machine of the class described by which similarity of produced tacos shells may be obtained by folding tortillas into preformed baskets and holding them uniformly therein by V-shaped molds as they are passed through the oil bath.

Other and further objects will be apparent when the specification is considered in connection with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view of a machine comprising an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front or delivery end view, taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view, looking outwardly from the rear side, as taken along line 3-3 Of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front end elevational view of the upper portion of the delivery end, panel removed, as taken along line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a rear end elevational view of the upper portion of the machine with the cowl removed, as taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevational view, of the upper portion of the machine, as taken along line 66 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan view taken along line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional elevational View taken along line 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged transverse sectional elevational view through the delivery end portion of the machine, as taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged isometric view of a tortilla loaded basket, with molds in place;

FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the basket shown in FIG. 10, with molds in place;

FIG. 12 is an isometric view of a mold, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, in place in the basket; and

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic view of electrical and mechanical apparatus of the machine, including electrical wiring diagram.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which like reference numerals are assigned to like elements in the various views, a tacos shell processing machine 10' is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, including an outer side panel 11, a rear side panel 12, a front or delivery end closure panel 13, a rear end cowl 14 (over a heater and process oil supply conduits, to be hereinbelow described), rollers 15 and roller guards 16 being provided at each lower corner to support the machine, and to protect the rollers, respectively.

As may be seen in substantial horizontal alignment, from left to right across the front side panel 11, there is provided a switch plate 18, with switch levers 19, 20, 21, to turn heat on and off, to start and stop conveyor motor, and to start and stop pump motor, respectively; heat control 22 with temperature indicator 17 immediately therebelow; speed indicator 23; speed control lever 24; and dump valve lever 25; also a clean-out fitting 26 is shown, lower left, near corner.

The frame construction of the machine 10 can best be visualized from a consideration of FIG. 3 in association with FIGS. 4-9, inclusive. Thus the frame 27 includes forward and rear channels 28 immediately supported by the corner rollers 15, with longitudinally extending structural lower runner angles 29 connecting the channels 28. Corner uprights 30, 32 extend above the front and rear channels 28 to support the respective front and rear ends of longitudinally, horizontally extending, upper runner angles 31.

An oil supply or reservoir tank 33 is supported upon the lower, horizontally extending runner angles 29, as best shown in FIG. 3, the length of the tank 33 being just short of the distance from inside to inside of front and rear uprights 30, 32. A motor mount and guard for a conveyor drive motor 34 includes a motor base plate 35 extending horizontally between, and cross-connecting the forward upright: angles 30, and a vertically disposed plate 36 which extends upwardly from the rear edge of the base plate 35 to have its upper corners connected to the front ends of the respective runner angles 31.

The upper runner angles 31 support a fry tank 37 thereon, the fry tank being comprised of outer and inner side members 38, 39, of cross-sectional configuration as shown in FIG. 8; a forwardly and upwardly tapered front member 40 of cross-sectional configuration as shown in FIG. 6; and an upright rear member 41, FIG. 6; the front member 40 and the side members 38, 39, being connected along diagonally extending tapered lines 43a,m42b, as indicated in FIG. 7. The respective front, sides, and rear members 40, 38 and 39, and 41 of the fry tank 37 are cross-connected and tied together along their lower edges by respective connection to a tank bottom 43, a cross-sectional configuration indicated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. Thus, the lower, bottom plate 44 is sloped from rear to front while the bend lines 44a taper from respective highest points at rear to lowest points at the front, as indicated by FIG. 8.

A conveyor assembly 45 is best indicated in FIGS. 68, inclusive, are disposed within the fry tank 37, and including front and rear side members 46, 47 cross-connected by longitudinally alternately disposed, cross-rods 48 and with longitudinally spaced apart sprocket axles 49, extending thereacross. Sprockets 50 are mounted near each end of each sprocket axle 49, within and adjacent to the respective conveyor unit side members 46, 47.

The cross-rods 48 and sprocket axles 49 are fixed with relation to the conveyor sides 46, 47, although not shown in the drawings because of the small scale involved. That is, it is indicated diagrammatically, and taken as conventional, that the ends of these members may be slightly turned down and threaded to receive assembly nuts thereon, as one manner of assembly.

The gear box or speed reducer 84, driven by the motor 34, FIG. 3, is indicated as carrying a drive shaft mounted drive sprocket 51 with a sprocket chain 52 extending around such sprocket 51 and upwardly around an outer, drive sprocket 53, FIGS. 4 and 9, which is mounted on the outer end of a sprocket shaft 55. Inwardly of the drivesprocket 53 the shaft extends centrally through an anti-friction or bearing assembly unit 54 which is carried by a bearing assembly flange 56 mounted on the outer surface of the fry tank rear side member 39. The shaft extends through the rear side member 39 and through a bearing member 57 passed through the rear wall or side member 47 of the conveyor assembly 45, and through a spacer flange or spacer 5'8 inside the rear wall 47. Immediately inwardly of the spacer means 58 a sprocket 60a is fixed as by a conventional key or setscrews upon the shaft 55. Successively from the inside of 'the conveyor assembly 45 outwardly, a sprocket 60b,

spacer means 58, bearing member 57 through outer conveyor assembly wall 46, are provided on the shaft 55, which passes outwardly through the fry tank outer side 38, and through a bearing assembly unit 54 carried by a bearing flange 56 mounted on the outer surface of the fry tank outer side member 38.

Drive sprocket chains 10a, 10b are provided to extend over the respective upper sprockets 59a, 59b on the drive sprocket shaft 55, FIG. 9, and over outer sprockets 61a, 61b affixed to the respective end portions of a jack shaft or axle 62 that extends across the fry tank 37 just to the rear of the tapered forward or delivey end wall 40 between the conveyor walls 46, '47, as best indicated in FIGS. 6 and 7. The sprockets 61a, 61b, are affixed to the jack shaft 62 and the jack shaft ends are journalled for rotation in the conveyor walls or side members 47, 46.

Inwardly of the sprockets 61a, 61b, there are sprockets 63a, 63b affixed to the jack shaft or axle 62, and disposed thereon in horizontal and longitudinal alignment with sprockets 50 on the sprocket axles 49, the sprocket axles 49 being equally, longitudinally spaced apart along the conveyor 45 to the rear of the jack shaft 62. On such sprocket axles '49 the sprockets 50 are mounted freely to revolve, with such sprockets 50 being disposed upon their respective sprocket axles 49 against any degree of lateral translation by conventional spacer means, as stop pins, not shown. A continuous sprocket chain 64a extends on one side of the conveyor 45 over the jack shaft sprocket 63a and horizontally rearwardly over the sprockets 50 in rearward alignment, around the rearmost sprocket 50, and back under the aforesaid respective sprockets 50 to, and upwardly around, the underside of the jack shaft sprocket 63a. -In like manner a continuous sprocket chain 64!) extends on the other side of the conveyor over the jack shaft sprocket 63b, and horizontally rearwardly over the sprockets 50 in rearward alignment, around the rearmost sprocket 50, and back under respective aligned sprockets to 50, and upwardly around, the underside of the jack shaft sprocket 63b.

The best length for a fry tank 37 should be determined by twice the distance between jack shaft 62 and rearmost sprocket axle 49 plus outer chain circumference around a sprocket 50 being divisible by basket Width (to be hereinbelow described), plus slight clearance, to give a quotient of 11 or 13. This would provide that respectively 5 or 6 baskets could be under full immersion in the fry tank oil at a time. Transversely aligned spacer lugs 66 on the respective conveyor sprocket chains 64a, 64b divide the sprocket chains 64a, 64b into distances apart equal to the aforesaid basket width plus slight clearance. The baskets 65, shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 6 and 8, are successively placed across the conveyor sprocket chains 64a, 6,412 as each successive space between lugs 66 completes moving upwardly around the rearmost sprocket axle 49 to full, upper longitudinally extending position. As this occurs, forwardly, a leading basket 65 on the conveyor has moved upon the diagonally upwardly extending sprocket chains 59a, 59b, to be lifted from the fry tank 37 by an operator.

The heated oil 67 through which the tortillas are carried, pre-folded, to be converted into tacos shells, is returned via a conduit 68, controlled by a dump valve 69 into the reservoir 33, FIG. 3. A motor-pump unit 70, 71 is mounted upon the top of the reservoir 33, toward the rear, the pump 71 taking suction through a lift pipe 72 to lift the oil 67 from the reservoir 33 to discharge it through a filter 73, which filters out fine, minute particles of detritus, as tortilla crumb chafi. Then the filtered oil is passed upwardly through an opened valve 74 to a T 75, where the oil separates to pass by conduits 76a, 76b diagonally downwardly into the fry tank 37 near the lower rear corners thereof.

The filter element for the filter 73 may be of any fine filtering material or construction that is insertable into the filter 73 through the angularly downwardly extending leg 77 of the filter housing into position to extend completely across the oil supply floor passage therethrough. A threadably removable closure and assembly plug 78 is then threadable into the leg 77 to hold the filter element in place until it is to be cleaned or changed.

A heating unit 79 is installed centrally through the tank rear end member 41 into the fry tank 37 with heating element 80, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, to extend in configuration and distribution substantially to cover the area above the central and side portions of the fry tank bottom member 43 and below the space of basket passage (FIG. 8), forward substantially to the front end portion of the fry tank 37.

Of special importance, a coarse type filter 81 is provided to seat within the forward end of the tank bottom 43 above the return conduit or dump pipe 68. This filter 81 is designed for picking up heavier detritus including tacos shell chips and pieces, and any other relatively sizeable foreign matter and irregularities. The filter 81 is easily accessible for cleaning or replacement as from the top of the machine, FIG. 7, or especially when the conveyor has been raised to dotted line position, FIG. 6, as when the oil is being changed in the system. Optionally, and obviously, a filter that requires the passage of the oil through a purification and discoloring material, such as diatomaceous earth, may be interposed in the system convenient for access and replacement.

A pair of uprights, as angles 82 upstand from the forward channel 28 and from the rear channel 28, such angles 82 being shown in plan in FIG. 7, the front angles 82 being shown in elevation in FIG. 4, and the rear angles 82 being shown in elevation in FIG. 5. The front or outer side panel 11 is mounted on the outer front and rear angles 82, and the rear side panel 12 is mounted on the back side front and rear angles 82, as indicated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Also, a front end closure panel 13, FIGS. 1 and 2, must obviously be mounted upon the front end uprights or angles 82.

Between the rear side member 39 of the fry tank 37 and the rear side panel 12, FIGS. 4 and 5, a rear side insulation block 83b is installed. Also as indicated in FIGS. 4 and 5, a front side insulation block 83a is installed between the outer side of the fry tank 37 and the outer side panel 11. Additionally a front end insulation block 830 is installed on the under side of the fry tank front member, as indicated in FIG. 3; and a rear end insulation block 83d (FIG. 3), may be installed upon the rear end of the machine, with cut-outs therethrough as required. And finally a bottom insulation block 83e is installed as indicated in FIG. 3 to fit in cross-section the bottom of the configuration of the fry tank bottom section 43. As thus insulated, the fry tank 37 retains most of the heat imparted to the oil 67 that serves to convert the folded tortillas into tacos shells in passage therethrough. Heat can be imparted to the oil 67 so that the oil can range in temperature as high as 550 F., with the speed at which the conveyor sprocket chains 64a, 64b and 60a, 60b are driven being changed accordingly by control adjustment of the speed ratios of the gear box 84, FIGS. 4 and 13.

As shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, the tortillas 91 are conveyed through the machine in baskets of special and unique construction to be converted by the hot oil bath into tacos shells 86. A basket 65, FIG. 10, comprised of wire or steel rod stock, has a rectangular frame 87, of predetermined length and width, about which the basket parts are formed. The frame 87 has its length divided into six equal parts by the provision of five equally spaced apart cross-rods 88b, 88c, 88d, 88e and 88 between the outer and inner cross-rods 88a and 88g. Then, beginning at an end cross-rod 88a or 88g, a row of modified U-shaped, or V-shaped members, substantially equally spaced apart, are provided, with upper or open ends being affixed to adjacent cross-rods. These members together in a row, indicated 89a, 89b, 89c, 89d, 89e, 891, 89g, 89h, 89 89k and 89m, are of shape to receive a tortilla 91, folded as indicated, in shape to be substantially retained when hardened, or fried, in passage through hot oil, to be transformed into a tacos shell. Noticeably, six tortillas 91 may be disposed in alignment along the longitudinal axis of the basket 65, to extend a total length that will permit the outer lower part of the basket to ride upon the sprocket chain 64b while the inner lower part or innermost row rides upon the sprocket chain 64a. The length of a basket 65 is thus the determining dimension about which the width of a machine 10 is gauged, and the width of a basket 65 plus a predetermined, side by side clearance, is the dimension from which the length of a machine 10 may be calculated.

The handle of the basket 65 is indicated in FIG. 10 as comprised of four upwardly extending riser wires 92a, 92b, 92c and 92d which are turned at substantially degrees to extend substantially horizontally, FIG. 11. The pattern taken by the wires in the horizontal nut being shown in plan, but obviously these wires form a handle grasp of length and width to be held by an operator and placed on the chain conveyor 64a, 64b, after the basket has been loaded with folded tortillas 91.

Referring now to FIG. 12, a tortilla mold 90 is shown which includes parallel runners 93a, 93b, spaced apart a distance in the horizontal slightly greater than the predetermined distance between the upper, greatest separated edges of the tacos shells 86. The part of the mold below the runners 93a, 93b is comprised of a row of substantially U-shaped or modified V-shaped wire loops 94a, 94b, 94c, 94d, 94c, 94 94g and 94h, equally spaced apart along the runners 93a, 93b. The mold loops are substantially concentric with the loops 89a-89m' which form the six tortillas receiving compartments of the basket 65 and the mold 90 in length is slightly less than the basket width between the longitudinally extending runners 87a, 87b of the basket frame rectangle 87. Obviously this dimension is determined by the predetermined dimension of the tortillas 91 which are loaded into the basket compartments. Thus, a mold 90 is placed upon each folded tortilla 91 to insure that it is held in place in transit through the fry tank 37, as immersed in the high temperature frying oil 67 which converts tortillas to tacos shells 86 (FIG. 11).

As indicated in FIG. 1 and as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 13, the heating unit 79, from which extend the heating elements 80, into the lower part of the fry tank 37 (FIGS. 6-8), is in a 220 volt circuit 97 which is closed by a relay 95, in a 110 volt circuit 96, actuating the switch 98 in the heating unit 79. The 110* volt circuit is in turn actuated by closure of heat on-and-olf switch lever 19, as such is moved to open and closed position responsive to urging from the thermostat 100'. The heat control device 22 on the panel 11 is indicated in FIG. 1 as being operatively connected to control the setting of the thermostat 100 which opens and closes the switch 19, as aforesaid. Also the ambient oil temperature of the oil 67 surrounding the thermostat 100, FIGS. 6 and 7 is indictated in FIG. 1 as being reflected from the thermostat 100 upon the temperature indicator or recorder 17, disposed below, and actuated by the heat control device 22, to reflect the setting at which the thermostat '100 is set to operate.

Immediately to the right of the heat switch lever 19 on the switch plate or panel 18, FIG. 1, appears the switch lever 20 which starts and stops the transmission that drives the motor 34, FIG. 13, as disposed in a circuit 99 parallel to the circuit '96 containing the heat control switch lever 19'. The motor 34 is connected to drive a gear box or speed reducer 84 with output shaft therefrom having a pulley a mounted thereon to drive, through a drive belt 105b, a pulley 1050 mounted on an input shaft into a generator 101.

The generator 101 is electrically connected to deliver current, in proportion to the rate at which it is being driven by the gear box 84, to an electrically actuated tachometer or r.p.m. indicator 102, shown in FIG. '13 as connected to measure the revolutions per minute of gear box drive shaft, and in FIG. 1 this indicator or tachometer 102 is indicated as being operatively connected to reflect speed reading upon the speed indicator or recorder 23 on the panel 211.

Thus the recorder 23 reflects the rate at which the conveyor assembly 45 is being driven, since the aforesaid pulley 51 is mounted on the outer end of the gear box output shaft, outwardly of the pulley 150a, and drives by means of the chain belt 52, the pulley 53 operatively mounted to impart drive to the conveyor chains of the conveyor assembly 45 within the fry tank 37.

The lever 24, FIG. 1, is shown operatively connected to a transmission 103, which changes gear ratios within the gear box 84, thereby selecting the speeds at which the gear box drive shaft mounting the pulley 51 revolves to drive the conveyor 45. Also, this lever 24 is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1 together with the transmission 103, which changes gear ratios within the gear box 84.

The selection of oil 67 for frying or hardening and setting the tortillas in the baskets 65 into tacos shells comprises special cognizance of the problem to be solved in tacos forming, so that the tortillas are exposed to the oil 67 of a certain kind and quality (high grade cocoanut oil), for a predetermined length of time with the oil bath held within a predetermined temperature range. As hereinabove described, the oil 67 from the reservoir 33 is urged through the filter 73 by the pump 71 and passes upwardly through the fitting 73a and valve 74 to split at the T 75 and thence to how downwardly through the conduits 76a, 7621 into the try tank 37.

The switch lever 21, FIG. 13, is operated to open and close a circuit 104, parallel to the drive circuit 99 and heat control circuit 96, respectively, to start and stop the pump motor 70. Thus, when the pump 71 has delivered oil 67 to fill the fry tank 37 to stand well toward the top of the baskets 65, FIGS. 6 and 8, the switch lever 21 may be manually urged to break the circuit 104 and stop the pump motor 70.

Each time the oil 67 in the fry tank 37 may become soiled in use, as designated by its appearance, the dump valve lever 25 may be turned to move through the slot 25a in the panel 11, thus to open the dump valve 69 so that the oil may flow back from the fry tank 37 into the reservoir 33. This gives access to the filter 81 so that this element may be removed to be cleaned and replaced. Also, the valve lever 74a may be turned to close the valve 74 and then the plug 78 removed from the filter leg 77 so that the filter mat within the filter U3 may be cleaned or replaced.

Note especially that the reservoir 33 is of capacity to hold several times the volume of oil required in the fry tank 37. Thus the fry tank oil 67 may be changed several times before it may become necessary to replace the whole lot of oil with a new supply. This is usually done with the fry tank oil 67 being drained from the fry tank 37 through the dump valve 69 to substantially fill the reservoir 33. Then the drain plug 26 may be removed and substantially the capacity of oil in the reservoir 33 may be drained ofi, usually through a flexible hose, not shown, but conventionally employed for such purposes.

Notice should be taken of the fact that the reservoir 33 and the fry tank 37, when completely emptied, may be Washed down and fully cleaned. As indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 6, the conveyor assembly 45 may be raised from the rear end of the fry tank 37, as pivoted about the forward and uppermost sprocket shaft 55, best shown in FIG. 9, thus to permit better cleaning of the fry tank 37, and also to permit better access for cleaning and servicing the parts of the conveyor 45.

The machine 10 is predicated on the principle of btaining maximum production of uniformly produced tacos shells by apparatus constructed to provide a maximum number of accurately folded tortillas disposed in heated oil bath a minimum time for proper frying or hardening, the time of disposition in the heated oil bath being predicated on passing the tortillas at the fastest practicable speed through the oil bath, as maintained at the highest practicable speed.

The greatest importance of the invention may be considered when it is compared with a machine of the ferris wheel type wherein at any one time no more than three tortillas may be immersed in the hot oil, While possibly another is being rotated downwardly into the oil and the fourth ahead thereof is passing upwardly out of the hot oil. See Pat. No. 2,967,474, aforesaid. Compare with FIGS. 6 and 11, where 36 tortillas are completely immersed in the hot oil while 6 more tortillas are in process of moving diagonally upwardly out of the fry tank 37. Considering that the conveyor 45 may be driven horizontally at a speed at least as great as the rotational speed of the ferris wheel type machine comprising the prior art, and it may be conceded that a phenomenal increase in rate of production is made with this invention, whereas at the same time wide range is provided in adjustments to improve quality.

I claim:

1. Tortillas conveying and tacos shell forming apparatus comprising a frame for supporting upwardly a fry tank, the oil reservoir therefor therebelow, and operating apparatus thereon comprising conveyor means of predetermined length driven by speed controlled, frame supported drive means to pass substantially horizontally through the try tank oil from rear to front, selectively controlled heating means including heating element means in said fry tank oil, and a plurality of tortilla containers each adapted to receive a plurality of tortillas therein longitudinally spaced apart along container axis and substantially diametrically folded with axes to extend transversely of container and thus parallel to direction of container travel, whereby with conveyor length divided by container width plus sideward clearance between containers determining containers in production, with travel time through oil bath at selective temperature determining tacos shell quality, with a container being tortilla loaded and placed on conveyor during conveyor travel equal to container width plus clearance, uniform quality tacos shells can be produced at substantial multiples of conventional production rates.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which additionally includes a driven pump for transferring oil from said reservoir to said fry tank, and a controlled return from said fry tank to said reservoir.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said container comprises a wire frame basket with handle, said basket comprising longitudinally aligned, substantially V- shaped cross-section tortilla folding compartments extending transversely thereacross.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which said container comprises a Wire frame basket with handle, said basket comprising longitudinally aligned, minimally spaced apart, V-shaped cross-section tortilla folding compartments extending transversely thereacross, and molds of substantially V-shaped cross-section concentric within the compartments better to hold tortillas to folded form and uniformity of shape through the hot oil bath.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said oil bath is maintained at selective temperature by a heating unit supporting heating element means in said fry tank oil, a thermostat in said fry tank oil, means on said frame connected to adjust range of thermostat control of fry tank oil temperature, and switch means operative by thermostat actuation at respective bottom and top of fry tank oil temperature range, respectively to turn on and oif circuit to actuate circuit on and circuit breakthrough said heating element means.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said travel time through said bath is obtained by a switch means closed to close circuitry to a prime mover connected to drive speed reducer means connected to drive said frame supported drive means, a control lever on said References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Pierson 99404 Prickett et a1. 99426 Buechele et a1. 99404 Ford 99404 10 3,020,826 2/ 1962 Silva 99426 3,267,836 8/1966 Yepis 99404 3,484,252 12/1969 Popeil 99193X 3,511,172 5/1970 Jones 99426 WILLIAM I. PRICE, Primary Examiner A. O. HENDERSON, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 10 99404, 427 

